Capital One has agreed to a class action settlement tied to an especially damaging kind of credit reporting error: mistakenly flagging living customers as “deceased.” When a furnisher of information like a bank sends a death indicator to credit bureaus, it can trigger immediate fallout—frozen or closed accounts, failed loan or rental applications, disrupted employment background checks, and a painful administrative maze to prove you’re alive. The settlement described at creditreportingsettlement.com involves people who were reported as deceased by Capital One in connection with a credit card account and who then disputed the report, with a February 18, 2026 deadline and no proof required to submit a claim. The lawsuit was filed because the plaintiffs allege Capital One’s reporting and/or handling of disputes led to wrongful “deceased” designations and the resulting harm, raising questions about whether the bank used reasonable procedures and properly investigated disputes. Its significance goes beyond the dollar amount: “deceased” markers are among the most severe credit file inaccuracies, and the case underscores how a single data point can cascade across the credit ecosystem. The claims sit squarely in the world of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs both credit reporting agencies and furnishers, requiring accurate reporting, prompt correction of verified errors, and reasonable investigations after consumers dispute information. More broadly, the case reflects an industry-wide problem with identity and status data—errors can arise from mixed files (two consumers’ data merged), confusion after a relative’s death, Social Security Administration death data mismatches, or internal account coding mistakes that propagate to the bureaus. Similar credit reporting class actions have targeted banks and the credit bureaus for inaccurate derogatory reporting, reinsertion of corrected items, or inadequate dispute investigations, and regulators like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have repeatedly warned that automated, high-volume dispute systems can fail consumers when accuracy breaks down. As credit underwriting and tenant/employment screening increasingly rely on bureau data and automated decisioning, settlements like this one put pressure on lenders and bureaus to tighten verification, improve dispute workflows, and treat “deceased” indicators as high-risk data requiring extra safeguards